Samia Suluhu's Government Reacts to CNN Protests Killings Report

The Tanzanian government responded to CNN's investigative report revealing the deaths of civilians during the recently held presidential...

• The Tanzanian government responded to CNN's investigative report revealing the deaths of civilians during the recently held presidential election.
• Confronted with worldwide criticism, the administration headed by President Samia Suluhu released a statement pledging to examine the CNN documentary and provide an official and detailed reply.
• President Suluhu secured the vote with a 98% victory, an outcome that has later faced investigation, as police are alleged to have violently suppressed demonstrators who challenged the election's legitimacy.

Kai Eli, a reporter for okay1.co.ke, has over three years of expertise in reporting on political and contemporary issues within Kenya.

The Tanzanian authorities have responded to reports from global media sources, which keep drawing attention to the atrocities suffered by residents after the October 29 presidential vote.

President Samia Suluhu was announced as the victor, securing 98% of the votes, facing a list of unremarkable candidates, as major opposition contenders were prevented from participating.

The legitimacy of the election has faced questioning, as significant police measures were taken against citizens who gathered in demonstrations, damaging its credibility.

Were individuals lost their lives in the Tanzanian elections?

Accounts suggest that individuals lost their lives during the voting process, yet local media struggled to report on the incidents because of government restrictions and a complete internet blackout, hindering the immediate sharing of information through online channels.

Driven by the desire to inform the global community about events during the internet shutdown, international news outlets took it upon themselves to report on the situation on the ground, utilizing satellite images to illustrate what was happening within the country.

They also gathered input from the Tanzanian public, who provided information regarding the assurance of anonymity due to concerns about retaliation.

The most recent one was a special report from CNN, highlighting the brutal conditions on the ground.

The production, featuring Kenyan-born CNN international correspondent Larry Madowo along with other team members, documented the shocking scenes where police violently attacked unarmed citizens, resulting in the deaths of those who tried to flee.

A pregnant woman is depicted as being struck by a police bullet. She was running through a crowd when the police shot her, resulting in her immediate death.

The CNN coverage depicted corpses accumulating in morgues, with indications of mass burial sites in the northern part of Dar es Salaam, a situation that aligns with accounts of bodies being forcibly removed by law enforcement.

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How the Tanzanian government reacted to the CNN report

The global community has taken notice of the investigation, prompting the Tanzanian government to release a statement soon after.

Pretending not to know about the turmoil after the election, the government reacted to the CNN documentary, saying it would investigate and pledge to provide a comprehensive report later.

The Tanzanian Government has acknowledged a recent CNN documentary about the events that occurred on October 29, 2025. The government is currently examining and confirming the details presented in the film. A formal statement will be released once this evaluation is finished," stated the government's official X account on Friday, November 21.

The results from CNN supported those of the BBC, which similarly utilized satellite images to construct a documentary highlighting the police violence in Tanzania.

How did the UN respond to events in Tanzania?

Two news sources published their reports following a concern expressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who sounded the alarm about what he referred to as the Tanzanian government's apparent reluctance to disclose the full scope of the post-election crisis.

A statement released on November 11 saw Türk cautioning that the circumstances might be significantly worse than what officials had admitted.

He mentioned accounts of families urgently traveling from one police station to another and from hospital to hospital in an attempt to locate missing relatives, frequently without achieving any results.

Turk urged the government to reveal the fate and location of those unaccounted for and to release the bodies of the deceased so their families could provide them with respectful burials.

He also voiced worry about claims that bodies were being taken from hospitals and moved to secret places, possibly to hide proof of a mass killing.

In a recent expression of sorrow, President Samia claimed that the demonstrations were organized by hired foreign entities.

She admitted that the clashes had damaged Tanzania's global reputation, and voiced worries that the nation could face difficulties in receiving backing from the international community when required.

She then established a review committee to examine the killings and document violations of human rights.